Posted by Resident
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Nov 17, 2009 at 8:52 am

I think "spicing up the night light" in downtown Pleasanton is a great idea but I also think Redcoats needs to be more proactive about all the underaged drinking going on in their establishment. Under aged kids know that if they are in Redcoats having dinner etc. before the real nightlight begins they most likely won't be carded. They also know fake IDs are easily eccepted here and not checked very thoroughly. I know this for a fact as these kids have told me this when I have seen them drinking here.

Posted by Nosy Neighbors
a resident of Pleasanton Heights
on Nov 17, 2009 at 9:17 am

Trust but verify...Redcoats definitely needs to police their ID/carding procedures a bit more thoroughly & perhaps try to attract a slightly older (30's-40's) crowd to be taken seriously. I for one am all in favor of ANY restaurant, eatery, deli, bar, etc. being allowed to stay open past 10:00 pm, as this town has done a fantastic job of killing off any possibility of finding food, beverage or adult entertainment after 9:30 at night. The "mommy-ocracy" element that seems to want to curtail any form of nighttime leisure activities needs to do what they would normally be doing. Shut your blinds, turn out the lights & go to beddy-bye time @ 9:00 at night so the rest of us heathens, malcontents & rabble rousers can imbibe ourselves with our sinful dancing, drinking & all around merry making. We're all big boys & girls & can live by the rules & play well with others & still be able to get up @ 6:00 & be ready to face the day with a big smile.

This town USED to have a vibrant, lively & active downtown & while I'm happy to see things cleaned up a bit we've gone way too far in limiting the downtown business owners ability to cater to their clientele.

Posted by David Cannon
a resident of Birdland
on Nov 17, 2009 at 10:04 amDavid Cannon is a registered user.

Mari Kennard runs a very professional restaurant/pub, Redcoats, and The Crown up in Danville. They offer a pleasant family experience (good food, good prices) before 10:00pm and they offer a lively adult restaurant/pub for the after 10:00pm adult crowd. This is exactly what Pleasanton needs! Our delightful downtown has been not so slowly dying. Look at the "for lease" signs and the turn-over of businesses. Pleasanton folks, we need to support good business in our town. That is what helps make this the town we all enjoy so much.

Trust me, we do not all want to go to sleep at 10:00pm every night. Having a local pub that you can share a beverage with a friend is a good thing. That beats having a town that "rolls up the sidewalks" and has no life at night.

The HOLIDAYS have arrived and with that there is an increase in merry making which means ALCOHOL FLOWS FREELY! Drunks and drunk drivers rule during the holidays. There is an increase in drunk driving accidents and innocent people being killed by drunk drivers.

I appreciate the fact that there are parents that want they children to live long, happy, and healthy lives. That's what healthy loving responsible parents want for their children. It's true that Redcoats is more than blind when it comes to checking ID's. They're in business and their goal is to make MONEY. That is their reason for being in business. Money is important and they know that during this season of good will, they can rake in lots of bucks if they sell more alcohol to kids and adults. Making MONEY drives their business.
I hardly think of anybody as a heathen, malcontent or rabble rouser that lives to drink, dance or make merry. If you're a drunk...hey, I'm not gonna call you that!

I don't care who you are or that you're a big boy or a big girl and that you can get up at 6 am and face the day with a hangover. Who cares. Between your marry making and driving home, you become a risk for other drivers on the road. You can write a cute essay someplace else because I'm not about to fall for your s8*&^%t. Get it?

PLEASE ESPLAIN how you are capable of making downtown more "vibrant"? give me a break...better, stay home, drink, dance and make merry and stay off the roads when you get intoxicated. HAPPY SOBER HOLIDAY!

Posted by love downtown
a resident of Downtown
on Nov 17, 2009 at 12:00 pm

I like the idea of more places open for later hours. And yes, if you move downtown (or near the train tracks or under the airplane flight path) you need to just suck it up. But if Redcoats does not start checking IDs then I think they need to be shut down. Bad enough that two of their patrons were the Danville mortgage brokers who beat up the cab driver in a hate crime early this year. They clearly attract a rowdy drinking crowd. If they continue to serve to underage drinkers then the PD better get out of the donut shops and start citing them.

What do you mean by "vibrant" and how do you personally plan to make downtown more "v"?

What egg-zactly is a "professional" restaurant?

If those real estate guys that beat up the taxi driver were arrested for their "quality" traits, what's bad partronage? The drunk teens that you serve alcohol?

If anybody thinks that the PPD are wasting time in a donut shop, prove it. I think you have to have an axe to grind to drag the police into a matter concerning a "professiona" establishment. VIVA the PPD! VIVA!

Fess up, what counts to you is tips, the money that drinks generate during the holiday season, and the drunks that visit your "professional" hangout. You assume no responsibility for happens to patrons who injure or kill innocent pedestrians and motorists. At least we agree on the use of cabs and designated drivers.

Do you suppose that any patron has ever sold drugs in your pretend pub?

Drinking age at 19? These kids can fight and die for their country but can't have a beer? uit citing statistics. You are responsible or you're not. if you don't drink don'to down there. Change the laws to allow these kids that can die for us the right to dink responsibly. Quit hiding behind statistics.

Posted by Thirty but not Dirty
a resident of Val Vista
on Nov 17, 2009 at 4:11 pm

I think they should extend hours for the Late Nighters. Theres no reason why they shouldnt. I love my Downtown but I hate the fact that its crickets by 10:10 pm. I understand theres other areas and cities to go too but I like inviting friends and family over to enjoy my town too. Its just if we want to have some late night drinks we have to go to The Poppy Lounge or Sunshine Saloon. Great. Has anyone been down there before. It gets old going to those two dumps to watch chicks puke in the bathroom and guys fight over the who is going to take the pukey chicks home. No Thanks. Some of us are more responsable then that and want nice places to hang out and enjoy the same company. And it brings Revenue to the city.

Posted by resident
a resident of Vintage Hills
on Nov 17, 2009 at 7:17 pm

I think the downtown can definitely stand some extended hours and I'm in my 50's. It is difficult to find even food past 8:30 - 9:00 at night. Case in point, we went to Gay 90's pizza on Sunday night at 9:15. We were told we could only order a pizza - fine with us. However, there was a gentleman who was trying to get information on a taxi from the employees and they told him they had no idea who to call and wouldn't take the time to do so. My husband has an I-phone so we called a taxi for the gentleman and then reacalled when the taxi had not shown up in 25 minutes. We checked on the gentleman and called again when it reached 35 minutes. In the meantime, Gay 90's proceeded to pour bleach in every knook and cranny and we had to leave the establishment because we could not enjoy our pizza and were basically asphyxiated by the smell of bleach. So did the other 2 tables. Still, the employees did nothing to help the gentleman waiting for the taxi. If you serve alcohol in Pleasanton, you ought to darn well have the numbers of taxis on the bar and be willing to call one for a patron who needs one. This gentleman had the patience of a saint and my husband and I made sure a taxi eventually showed up for him. Shame on Gay 90's!!!

Posted by OutsideLookingIn
a resident of Highland Oaks
on Nov 17, 2009 at 7:25 pm

I have been to RedCoats on a number of occasions. I was carded every time that I entered the establishment after the restaurant had closed. I have seen people turned away when they were unable to produce the correct form of ID.

Posted by Resident
a resident of Vintage Hills
on Nov 17, 2009 at 7:25 pm

Pardon my error in above posting.....it was Friday night that we went to Gay 90's. It was immediately after the Foothill/Amador football game. It's even worse to have the establishment reacting this way on a Friday night.

Posted by love downtown
a resident of Downtown
on Nov 17, 2009 at 11:27 pm

At 10:00 PM Tuesday night I drove past Redcoats. A group of about 8 people were staggering out of Redcoats onto the sidewalk and into the street. As I passed them a bottle was thrown at my car. This place needs to be SHUT DOWN not get extended hours. It makes the old Union Jack look nice by comparison. There is a really easy way to stop the underage drinking. Send in decoys, fine the owners (thousands of dollars, make it hurt), charge them with a felony and take away the liquor license. Why does the PD do nothing about this?

I've been to Red Coats a couple of times for lunch and also dinner. Their food is marginal at best and overpriced for what you get. I know that a lot of 19-20 years olds frequent this pub with their fake ID's and also use older friends and siblings ID's. Apparently it is very easy to get in there at night and the kids don't mind paying for the overpriced drinks cuz they feel "all grown up"! Let's not forget what happened in Livermore 7 or so years back when the young lady got so drunk in the 2 downtown bars and crashed into a tree, killing at least 2 of her friends. The bars that served her where fined heavily...they should have stopped serving her a long time before they did!

Posted by Mr. Buzzkill
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Nov 18, 2009 at 8:31 am

Longer hours + more drinks = more $$$$ for Mary the Redcoats owners. Anybody can see their true intentions here.

It also will mean more DUI income for Pleasanton instead of Dublin/Livermore (where the kids go to drink when they leave) More revenue, more fines, Redcoats gets closed down & a nice "respectable" adults only, Barone's-esque restaurant opens up in it's place.

The place is so-so, drinks are overpriced, food is typical bland, British pub fare. Let em' drink then close em' down. Everybody wins.

Posted by Tony
a resident of Pleasanton Heights
on Nov 18, 2009 at 9:08 am

If there was enough demand, I think more restaurants would want to stay open later. It's supply and demand. Is Downtown is quiet because no one is there? Or is no one there because it's so quiet? Why would an establishment want to extend hours if not enough people want to be out at that hour? Businesses are facing tough times, like everyone else.

Posted by early morning wakeup
a resident of Old Towne
on Nov 18, 2009 at 9:46 am

NO on late night drinking establishments in downtown Pleasanton. I don't care how "upscale" Barone's is touted to be. They shouldn't have received their variance.

About three months ago, some drunk left downtown and came careening up East Angela. Don't know where they had been drinking (Barone's), but they took out a fire hydrant then hastily sped away. The water from the hydrant shot 40 feet into the air and shorted out a transformer that was immediately adjacent. The initial crash, the load popping of the transformer & the lights disappearing - all brought out neighbors from many surrounding blocks.

I'm glad it was a hydrant and not someone's child. More late night drinking establishments is just going to increase the number of drunks careening through our neighborhoods. And, from my example above, they don't just stay on the main thoroughfares.

Also, one of the nice things about downtown is the close proximity of the many stately, artful and well kept homes. They are as much a part of the ambiance of the downtown area as the businesses along Main Street. Let's not chase away people who are willing to put money into sprucing up their homes.

BTW - I live about 3/4 mile from downtown so my house doesn't count as one of the cute attention "getters". I'm also not going to be affected by the increase in noise. I'd just rather have drunks have their fun elsewhere.

One last thought... Concerning the fact that there are a lot of "For Lease" signs along downtown, it's because of the overall economy. It's not because people don't have places to drink & be merry.

Hey, this one is simple. There is already too much roudiness at Red Coats - underage drinking, fights, drinking outside, upchucking and urinating in the parking lot, beer bottles strewn outside. So its a no brainer. No the extended hours for music until they clean up their act. As for the roudiness and lawbreaking - if the Pleasanton cops can't control it, shut the place down. Simple.

Posted by Me
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Dec 4, 2009 at 10:18 am

With all th econservatives in this town touting things like "Guns don't kill people do", it is ironic to hear the same people blame the drink servers not the drinkers for errant behavior. If there is underage drinking the ABC (alcoholic beverage control) will undoubtly send in decoys and bust the owners. I'm a big fan of personal freedom and the requisitie responsibility that goes along with it. Yes later hours means more business, means more City revenues, means more amenities. Overly restricitve business climates cause the level of service and quality to decrease and often runs folks out of business. I don't want Pleasanton to return to the barren pre-renewed version that existed up until 1993.

If you want to complain about a downtown establishment why not start with Pastime Pool. Redcoats is much nicer than it or the old Union Jack. I like thier food and it is nice to have a classy pub atmosphere.